Controversy Surrounds Kannada Lecturer's Baseless Criticism of Chandrayaan-3

Bengaluru: Following criticisms, the Department of Pre-University Education has issued notice to a Kannada lecturer over a controversial social media post, where he openly criticized India's lunar mission, Chandrayaan-3. The lecturer in question, Hulikunte Murthy, employed strong language on his social media account, drawing criticism from both netizens and prominent BJP leaders.

Hulikunte Murthy, a Kannada lecturer at a Pre-University college in Malleshwaram, Bengaluru, sparked outrage with his post, baselessly claiming that the Chandrayaan-3 mission will be a failure. The controversial social media post quickly went viral on Wednesday, leading former Karnataka education minister, Suresh Kumar, to intervene and request an explanation from the Karnataka government regarding the lecturer's actions.

The post came in response to ISRO scientists' visit to the revered Lord Venkateshwara temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, where they sought blessings ahead of the Chandrayaan-3 launch.

In the contentious tweet, written in Kannada, Murthy likened Chandrayaan-3 to its predecessor Chandrayaan-2. The lecturer distastefully used the phrase 'Tirupati naama’ which is commonly used to symbolise a venture's failure.

The Pre-University department, acting swiftly, summoned Murthy to provide an explanation for his social media remarks, which triggered widespread backlash from the online community. The Deputy Director of Pre-University of the region confirmed that appropriate action would be taken against Murthy in light of the investigation's findings.

The Department’s swift response underscores the importance of upholding professionalism and ethical conduct, particularly in the context of educational institutions. It serves as a reminder to educators and individuals with public roles of the potential consequences their words may carry.

As the controversy continues to unfold, the incident raises pertinent questions about the responsibilities educators bear while posting contentious, negative opinions on public platforms. The influence that a lecturer with such a mentality will have on the students is also particularly concerning.